Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Celeste
by Estia
Summary: The world has fallen out of balance. A war rages between Pokemon and humans, and an unstable, sugar-holic Cyndaquil and a human-turned-Pokemon may be the key to everything.
1. Chapter 1: Prelude

**Celeste**

**This is my first fanfic, so please review. Constructive criticism would be really helpful!**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Wildfire Woods**

Sparks flew and ash covered everything around so that all you could see was gray. It was already night, and the sky was naturally dark, so the smoking cinders brightened things a bit.

A small Cyndaquil trotted beside a demonic black dog.

"Are we there yet?" the fire mouse inquired. The Houndoom's eyes flickered over his body, taking in his sore and weary form. Although the Cyndaquil didn't show it, he knew that he was terribly tired. The flames along his back were merely tiny embers, and his eyes lacked the natural luster.

"Close," he promised. His determination to get there before Phantom did made his energy boundless. The Cyndaquil jerked his head up suddenly and asked,

"What exactly are we looking for?" His companion's tail dropped slightly as he shook his head, signaling that he didn't know. It was a lie though, obviously, and the fire mouse knew that, too. But it was safer this way. Anyone who captured him wouldn't know anything. As the saying goes, ignorance is bliss.

Before long, the entrance of a cave could be seen, concealed by still flaming leaves and twigs. The Houndoom felt a jolt of excitement roll through him upon seeing his birth place. He'd spent most of his childhood there, playing and tussling with his siblings and sometimes, his parents. The movement didn't go unnoticed by the Cyndaquil.

"This is it, isn't it, Night," he said softly. It was more of a statement rather than a question. The Houndoom, Night, nodded and slipped through the narrow opening.

The Pokemon in the Woods were mainly fire-types and all moderately powerful. Although Ninetales and Growlithe were nearly extinct because of the high demand for their pelts, they were abundant here, almost overrunning the entire place. Most didn't mind them passing through, but there were still several that preferred battling to hone their skills. A coupe of Shadow Balls from Night usually scattered them.

"This is insane, we're not playing hide-and-seek!" snarled Night in frustration. Suddenly, there was the sound of rocks being crushed against each other. The Houndoom raised his muzzle into the air warily and the fur along his spine rose. Crouching low to the ground, arrow-shaped tail swishing, he hissed,

"Rhyperior, run!" The small, young mouse had no idea what Rhyperior were, but if they frightened Night, he wasn't about to stick around and find out. Racing through the narrow corridors of the cave, he dodged the falling boulders and tried to keep his mind off the violently shaking ground.

Fishing an Oran Berry from his pack, he nibbled on it and savored the rich juices that flowed into his mouth. He could almost feel the energy from the fruit restoring his strength. Then, he was on his feet again, searching futilely for Night. He vented his frustration of failure out on a poor Charmander that happened to pass by. Since he was running low on supplies, he also took a Violent Seed, Oran Berry, and Pecha Scarf from the bruised and torn lizard. He'd just settled down contentedly, ready for a good rest, when he heard the noise.

It was similar to that of the Rhyperior, but more furious. Then, he caught his first glimpse of a Charizard. First, the monstrous winged creature sniffled at the Charmander's brutally massacred body, then directly at the cowering Cyndaquil.

"Oops," he muttered. The beast's eyes paralyzed him with fear and rooted him to the spot.

"Um ... hi?" the Cyndaquil suggested meekly. In response, the Charizard sent a burst of flame that enveloped the tiny mouse. He stumbled backwards and began scampering through the narrow corridors again, the scorch marks adorning his back already fading as he countered the burns with his own fire. As soon as he could no longer see or hear the massive dragon, he immediately fell on his side in a deep sleep.

---

He woke to find himself in a cavern of glowing fire crystals. There was a shadowy lump on the left edge of the cave.

It twitched, then sat up, rubbing its head with a paw. Then, it directed its attention to him.

"Where am I?" it whispered. The Cyndaquil glared.

"I could ask you the same thing," he retorted. The creature snarled, bristling angrily before calming down and asking again,

"Fine. Then who are you? Are you ... you know - good?"

It seemed unsure and hesitant, as if one mistake would end in her demise. Which was probably the case.

"Good?" the fire mouse growled, "Good? The last 'good' died over 60 years ago.

"As for my name, it's Comet." He slapped his paw to his face.

_Stupid! Why are you giving out free information to strangers?_ he snapped at himself. The creature, or Pokemon, or whatever it was, tilted its head curiously. He realized that his face had been contorted into a snarl and he seemed to be pounding his head on the ground.

_Smooth._

"Well, okay then. I'm ... I'm Celeste."

There was a long, awkward silence. Finally, she broke it by saying,

"What ... what am I?"

Comet gave a short bark of laughter. Celeste sniffed angrily.

"No, seriously. I have fur, I have paws, I'm no longer bipedal, and I have huge, giant furry ears," she hissed.

Comet withheld his snickers long enough to reply,

"That's easy. What color fur do you have?" She inspected herself, licking away patches of soot from her pelt. The colors were beginning to show through the black and gray now.

"Tan and br - "

"No way." Celeste shied away, unnerved by the inquisitive and intense stare. Comet was in a state of shock. The short, compact body, the giant ears, and the fluffy neck fur. He crouched low to the ground, closing his eyes and lowering his head. Then, his eyes snapped open, blazing.

"Get away from me," he snarled, the furious sound ripping itself out of his chest.

"I - I'm sorry! For whatever I did!" Celeste whimpered, her ears flattening themselves to her skull. Comet tried to rid himself of the insane anger. She didn't do it. She wasn't the one. He closed his eyes again, taking deep breaths to soothe himself.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, opening his eyes again, "So sorry you had to see that." Celeste shook her head quickly, although traces of fear remained in her eyes.

Then, his mind cleared, there was a certain question that came to mind.

"Are you what Night's looking for?" The Eevee stared at him blankly.

"What the fudge?" she asked, baffled.

"Never mind, now come on. We're getting out of here," he sighed, shaking his head. Before Celeste could ask anymore questions or protest, he pulled out an Escape Orb, grabbed onto her, and tapped the Orb.

_Would you like to teleport out of this dungeon?_ came the mechanical voice, flowing into his mind.

"Yes," he murmured, ignoring the strange look he received from the Eevee.

There was a blinding flash of light.

---

**I have a couple of characters that I need to be filled. I don't care what Pokemon they are, but I know their importance in the story, so if you have any OCs, just fill out this form:**

**Name:**

**Species:**

**Gender:**

**Team:**

**Appearance:**

**Special Item(s): **_example: Gold Ribbon (OPTIONAL)_

**Leader or Member?:**

**Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2: Merely a Tool

**Celeste**

**Thanks to The Bookmaster and MrMissMrs Random for their reviews! I really appreciated them.**

* * *

**Astreal History:**

_Somehow, for some unknown reason, the humans just burned down the forest that was home to thousands of Pokemon. That was the only the beginning. More and more Pokemon were attacked and killed. But they were determined to survive. They had to; they refused to fall to the humans, so they rebelled. Sieges were laid on human cities. They raided and killed any human in sight. Ambush parties were sent out to intercept human travelers. It seemed like the war was turning in the Pokemon's favor. _

_Then, the humans created nuclear weapons. _

_Rapidly, the number of Pokemon decreased. Pidgy and Starly were the first to fall, because of their weak defenses and the fact that they lived in the air._

_They created Rescue Teams, to protect the few Pokemon there were. But the Rescue Teams were more than just rescuing others. They constantly trained and recruited to prepare for raids and sieges on the humans. Despite their efforts, the number of Pokemon steadily declined. It seemed like their was nothing left. Only around 190 species of Pokemon remained from the original 495. Even Arceus had abandoned them; Arceus, the great god they believed in._

_Just previously, though, something gave them hope._

_In order for the Rescue Teams to locate lost Pokemon, they devised a mechanical devise out of human metal scraps to create the PinPointer. It would show the energy levels, power levels, life force, and the location of the missing Pokemon. They discovered a source of amazing power, pulsing with energy. But its life force was flickering. _

_Group after group attempted to retrieve this power source, and all came back empty handed._

* * *

**Chapter 2: Enter Team Name Here**

Celeste had no idea why she was traveling with the psychopath; he basically murdered everything in sight and took everything they had. But then he took her into the secret underground passages, and she felt some sort of connection with them.

"I know this place," she murmured almost inaudibly. Comet jerked his head up in surprise but said nothing and focused on keeping a steady flow of flames from his back to illuminate the dark walls. "Why are we here anyways?"

"You're going to help me."

That was all he said for the remainder of the trip. Celeste kept to herself as well.

---

The place they arrived at wasn't exactly a sight for sore eyes. It was a tent, or at least you could tell it used to be one. Now, it was merely scraps of fabric sewn together, designed to let in as much wind as possible. There was the design of a Pokemon on it, but it was faded.

Comet directed them towards a desk at the farthest corner of the tent where a Chatot sat, flipping through papers with his beak and talons.

"Where did I put that paper now ... ?" he muttered to himself, still scattering the white parchments everywhere. There was a small, yellow slip of paper sticking out beneath a giant volume of a dictionary. The Eevee poked at it with her paw and asked,

"This it?" The Chatot looked relieved.

"Thank you, now how may I be of servi - oh, how rude of me. I'm Ch - "

"I know who you are," the Cyndaquil cut him off rudely. Celeste shoved him backwards and snapped,

"But I don't, so shut up." Comet looked disgruntled, while the Chatot seemed unsure of what to do. He sweatdropped, then squawked,

"Okay then! I'm Chatot, and how may I be of service?" Comet stepped forward again.

"We're here to form a Rescue Team." Chatot smiled cheerfully and whipped out a pencil and a piece of paper.

"Okay then! Wait. First, you need approval. You do have it, don't you?" he prompted. Comet shook his head slowly, scratching it with his paw at the same time.

"Night's out. We need a room, too."

"Okay then! Come back when you need me again!" Comet spat a burst of flame in his direction before walking off and dragging Celeste with him. He pulled out the set of keys that Chatot had given him and tossed them to the Eevee.

"You find our room. I'll meet you there, but first, I gotta get some sugar."

Then, he ran off. Celeste turned to a Piplup and asked,

"Is he always like this?" The Piplup rolled his eyes.

"How should I know? I'm not his mother," he commented sarcastically.

"Well, can you at least tell me what a 'Rescue Team' is?" she pleaded. The Piplup muttered something that sounded suspiciously like 'stupid newbies' but answered anyways.

"A Rescue Team is an Exploration Team that searches dungeons and brings 'good' to the world. No, seriously, they help in the war against the humans. Though, I can't see why he would partner up with one of the Eon family." He eyed her distastefully. "You know, he does have a weird obsession with hating all the Eons because of something ..."

He trailed off and threw the can of Pepsi that he was drinking into a garbage can.

"Pepsi," he sighed before teetering off, hiccuping and rambling nonsense. "Almost as good as Sprite. Heh, heh, bubbly..."

"Well, I see you've met my idiot brother," another voice commented icily from behind her. She whipped around, furious at being sneaked up on. She was face-to-face with another Piplup similar to the Pepsi-high one from before, but this one had a strange, seven-shaped birthmark on his arm.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Seven. I'm from Team Sprite." He said the name Team Sprite as if it were some sort of disgusting disease and stuck out his wing.

"Forty bucks says that your brother thought of it." Seven smiled softly and nodded. A bipedal yellow mouse with red cheeks and a thunderbolt tail tapped the Piplup on the shoulder impatiently. Then, he stared inquiringly at the Eevee. It was sort of a mixture of shock and confusion.

"We've got that sentry mission at the Blue Falls and everyone's waiting for you. And who's the Eevee? Aren't they supposed to be extinct?" Seven excused himself politely, dipping his head courtesy before disappearing into the thick crowd that was beginning to form around the dining area. Quietly, Celeste slipped away as well, the keys dangling from her teeth as she darted up the flights of stairs to Room 43B.

She unlocked the polished, limestone doors to reveal a room that looked more like a house.

It was large and spacious, an oriental rug decorating the cream-colored floors. The walls were a brilliant dark blue shade, paling at the top to create the white-blue ceiling. There was a large, queen-sized bed in the center with white sheets and a silver-and-blue patterned blanket. There was a cedar-wood cabinet beside the bed with strange carvings that adorned its sides in a mesmerizing dance.

"Sweetness," Celeste laughed, snuggling into the dark blue plush pillows.

There was another room as well, warm and humid. She wrinkled her nose.

"Don't we have air conditioning?"

It was actually quite amazing, though. There was a giant marble storage compartment that seemed to be woven with the structure of the wall. The floor was made of a yellowish marble as well, slick and smooth. It connected with the golden ceiling and the red-orange walls. Finally, the bed was the most amazing.

It obviously wasn't made of wood, she knew that much. A much stronger, durable substance was used to create the king-sized canopy. The gold and red embroidered blankets were strange as well, but she couldn't put her paw on exactly what. The pillows were normal as far as she could tell, fluffy, soft, and orange.

The door opened with a slight creak, signaling that Comet had arrived.

He wasn't alone. There was someone else, a black-furred canine, its distinguishing features an arrow-shaped tail and two large, deadly horns that protruded from the top of its skull.

"So, where's the source of power everyone's been waiting for?" a baritone voice asked quietly.

"I think it's in the next room," Comet replied hesitantly. Celeste saw them draw closer, and the demonic dog stared at her in wonder.

"This is it," he laughed euphorically. A flare of rage blossomed in her chest. She flattened herself to the ground and snarled,

"Is that all I am to you? Just a tool for you to use? Well then I'm done. You can find some other 'source of power' for all I care."

Angrily, she stormed out of the door, tears blurring her vision.

_Am I just a pawn to them? Some stupid toy that they can play with and then discard? I'm an it?_

---

"Smooth," Night commented sarcastically. Comet shook his head, trying to get rid of the blinding anger that seared through him. He glared at Night furiously and began gripping the carpet beneath tightly, restraining himself from firing a barrage of Embers and destroying the entire room.

He stared at the place where the Eevee ran off, twitching.

Night looked annoyed.

"Well? Aren't you going to go after her?" he urged. Comet looked disoriented but obeyed, slamming his head on the way out. Night growled in amusement.

"Too much sugar in that kid. He's going to hallucinate if this keeps up."

---

**Oceanside Cove F1**

---

She had no idea where she was going, and the place was crawling with Pokemon, angry for the disturbances. A couple of times, they even tried to attack her.

The Clamperl opened its shell and shot a stream of bubbles at her, completely drenching her fur. Celeste retaliated by slamming into the oyster-like Pokemon quickly before it could close its shell, and it was knocked out. She breathed a sigh of relief, glad that the Pokemon here weren't frighteningly powerful.

There was a blue berry lying on the ground. Cautiously, she nibbled at it, delighted with the sweet, rich taste. Had Comet every tried one of these?

_No_. She shook her head. _I'm better off alone._

---

"Celeste! I'm sorry," pleaded Comet, weaving through the maze unsurely. He spotted a dark figure crouched at the corner of a pond and raced towards it. It suddenly turned around, revealing a yellow duck with a cream beak. The Cyndaquil was disgusted and snapped in annoyance,

"Well, you're not Celeste." He spat a jet of fire at the Psyduck who dodged out of the way with surprising speed and agility. It easily turned around and fired a steady flow of water, making his fire spatter and flicker out. He let out a stream of colorful language and tried a more physical approach. Again, the yellow bipedal Pokemon stepped aside, causing him to tumble head over heels into the water.

Rising to the surface, he let out a screen of smoke, which was easily countered by another Bubble. Yet again, he was hit square in the chest by the super-effective attack.

He was struggling to get up now; the Psyduck was far stronger than normal, and it probably was just a genetic mutation. The duck, sensing a victory, let another Bubble fly, anticipating the impact.

It never came.

Instead, it was intercepted by an orb of shadows. A dark blur slammed into the Pokemon with glowing silver claws and slashed it across the face. Squealing, it dived into the water and floated away.

"Thanks," Comet said grudgingly. His rescuer was a lithe, midnight-furred, quadruped fox with golden rings around its body that gave off a luminous light.

"Kiriel," the Umbreon introduced curtly.

"And that was little somebody called Nemesis. Likes to terrorize weaker Pokemon." He stared pityingly at the soaking Cyndaquil and Comet felt a jolt of anger pass through him at being called 'weak'. "What are you doing around here?"

The dark fox was genuinely curious.

"Looking for my ... friend," Comet answered, using 'friend' for the lack of a better word. Kiriel nodded understandingly.

"It's hard being alone." The fire mouse's flames flared at the reprimanding undercurrent but remained silent. The Umbreon then gestured towards the staircase and trotted forward.

"Come on then." Surprised but relieved, he followed.

The same nagging question remained in his mind, though:

_Can you be friends with someone you knew for less than a day?_

He couldn't answer it.

* * *

_Please review! I'm still accepting OCs._


	3. Chapter 3: Haruka

**Celeste**

**Thanks to MrMrsMiss Random, the Bookmaster, Viper (), and Karpil, and SakuraFurude for their character and reviews. One request, though. Please, if you review, add some constructive criticism to it so I know what I'm doing well and what to improve on. Thanks a lot! -munches on a waffle-**

**Oh, and two more things: I do not own Pokemon.**

**Two, please don't send in anymore submissions that include Pokemon from the Eon family. Eevee are extinct, so there is no way it is possible for their evolutions to still remain alive. To anyone else who submitted an Eon besides Kiriel, don't expect to see your character anytime soon. No shiny Pokemon either. Sure, distinctive traits such as oddly colored eyes or white paw pads are allowed. For everything else, whatever floats your boat.**

**Sorry for the long AN.**

* * *

**Astreal History:**

_What used to be a land full of prosperity and peace slowly became a dying country, at war with herself. A weapon professor on Crescent Moon Isle was devastated by the loss of his only daughter, and, thinking that Pokemon had taken his precious jewel, created the deadly nuclear weapons. They were used to wipe out every single forest that inhabited Pokemon. _

_"I won't rest until I find her," he vowed._

* * *

**Chapter 3: Haruka**

"So, why are you here?" asked Comet, trying to break the awkward silence. The shiny Umbreon grunted, pausing to sniff the air. His blue rings glowed intensely, lighting up the darkness. The air was damp but cool, a slight draft blowing in from the edges of the cave.

"I'm here because of the Ivory Amulet," Kiriel answered flatly. His ears flicked sideways, changing the direction of light so that the small Cyndaquil could no longer see his paws. Comet laughed.

"The Ivory Amulet is merely a myth; only a fool would believe it's real," he snorted bitterly. The Umbreon snarled and pounced on him. Unable to free himself, he felt his anger flow quickly, despite his attempts to control it. His eyes were rimmed black and so was the aura that surrounded him. His flame brightened by several notches and he released a jet of fire straight at Kiriel's muzzle, engulfing it in a torrent of heat.

"Get - off - of me!" he growled dangerously, eyes flashing. When he refused to budge an inch, the Cyndaquil ripped at his paws, tearing of fur and occasionally skin. Kiriel winced but remained seated on top of the fire mouse.

"Learn to control you anger, which isn't obtained by letting it consume you." His request fell on deaf ears, as Comet tore savagely at his tail. Kiriel was beyond annoyed now. His rings flaring brightly, he enveloped himself in a dark aura and slammed into the Cyndaquil beneath him.

His claws sank into his opponent's flesh, not deep enough to kill him but far enough so that it wouldn't be a lesson he'd forget quickly. Comet continued his onslaught of fire and bites. A Shadow Ball to his stomach kept him grounded long enough for Kiriel to lean down and hiss,

"Respect your elders.

The Ivory Amulet is alive, you know." He no longer had to pin Comet down to calm him down. Slowly, his struggles were already ceasing. "Come on, we're still looking for your friend."

_Friend._

That word again. Friend. Was she truly a friend? The reason why Comet hadn't thought of going after her earlier was because what she said was the complete and absolute truth. They only needed her to get rid of the humans, and after that, they wouldn't care what happened to her. She was right, too. It wasn't fair. She was a living, breathing creature, and deserved to be treated as such. Everything she'd said was true. Up until now, he'd never given a second thought about her feelings, only of his selfish, ambitious needs. They would treat her like a tool, without a mind of her own, forced to do their bidding.

It just wasn't fair.

But was she a _friend_?

The word was queer on his tongue. _Friend_. A friend. There was suddenly a startled squeak from his left and the sound of someone getting soaked.

"Celeste!"

---

Kiriel led the two out of the dungeon with all their body parts intact and bid them farewell on their journey.

The pair was towards the nearest city, which happened to be the human city of Milkweed.

"Are you sure about this?" Celeste was hesitant to enter. "What if we're caught?"

"Relax, I've done this a billion times."

The Eevee still wasn't sure, but followed him anyways.

The streets of Milkweed were practically deserted, and it seemed like the only people who lived there were either old couples or adults in their mid-40s. There were virtually no children, except for a little, red-haired girl dressed in tattered rags. She was bouncing a little red rubber ball and threw a bit of the cookies she were eating at the two Pokemon when she saw them. Eagerly, then crouched and crunched on the sweet, chocolaty delight. Then, she ran off, giggling.

The duo tipped over a trash can and ravaged the food there, picking out whatever they could find that was edible.

"What are you doing here," snapped an angry, feminine voice. They whipped around to find themselves surrounded by a gang consisting mainly of Water-types. The leader was the one who had spoken, a furious-looking Piplup with a green headband tied around her wrist.

"This is my land, so scat!" A Pikachu tapped her shoulder uncertainly.

"I dunno, boss, they don't really look like a threat..." Comet shot a burst of flame at him, singing his tail. Still, the Pikachu seemed unnerved about the prospect of attacking them.

"Haruka, give them a chance," he pleaded. Finally, the lead Piplup nodded and turned away. Then, she looked back and snarled,

"But if I see you here again, you're not going to be let off so easily." She disappeared into the distance.

On their way back, a flyer caught Celeste's eye.

_'Lost: Celeste Taylor. Age 12. If found, please contact 433 - 980 - 2313.'_

_Hey! She has the same name as me!_ thought Celeste in amusement. They continued, the city of Milkweed getting farther and farther.

---

Night nuzzled Comet fiercely when he returned, chiding him and Celeste about running away.

"Well, wake up bright and early tomorrow, because you'll be going out on your first mission," he barked sternly before trotting back to his room.

"Hey, uh, Seven," Celeste called. The Piplup turned, meeting her gaze questioningly. "Do you happen to have a sister named Haruka?"

He nodded.

"She attacked us."

He laughed.

"Yeah, don't be offended. She's got a nasty temper, but her bark's worse than her bite." Celeste laughed with him.

---

For the first time since Comet had found her, she slept on a comfortable bed, dreaming.

_Something exploded in her face. She could feel the powerful force draining the energy out of her limbs. Before she had the chance to properly realize anything, she was submerged in darkness._

_---_

_It was freezing, and everything was cold and hard. It encircled her. She could feel herself moving, though. But it wasn't to her own will. She was being manipulated._

_---_

_The anguished screams. A small, pink cat-like creature floating in the air, its long, slender tail flicking from side to side. It fell, suddenly, dropping into her arms. Another creature slammed into the small cat and it let out a faint cry. It began to burn up; she could feel it flaming in her hands. The cold, hateful eyes of a Cyndaquil stared back at her._

_"This was your fault."_

* * *

_Yeah, that was a short chapter. Anyways, I'm __still _accepting OCs, but only 3 more.

_Review! ~_


End file.
